Machine for dropping bullets, &amp;c.



c. F. BENJAMIN. MACHINE FOR DROPPING BULLETS, Km.

7 APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I8, I919. I V 1,340,43 v Patented May 18, 1920.

. 3 SHEETS-SHEET l- .--5

C. FABENJAMIN. MACHINE FOR DROPPING BULLETS, 61c- JXPPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18, I91.

Patented May 18, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

TIE-.4:

A e/W c. F BENJAMIN. MACHINE FOR DROPPING BULLETS &c.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.18.1919.

Patented May 18, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

EEC-.5-

. nnIrED STATES iPATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE r. BENJAMIN; or MILFORD, oonnnc'riou'r.

MACH NE FOR nnorrine BULLETS, e o.

To all whom it may concern I Be it known that l, CLARENCE F. BENJA- 3H3, a citizen of the United States, residing at the town of li'lilford. in the countyof New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Dropping Bullets, 81c. and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the in vention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. 7 V i This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in a machine for dropping bullets or slugs point downwardly, the principal object being to provide improved means for taking the bullets or slugs from I a supply, such as a hopper, and delivering them always point downwardly to a machine for swaging, lubricating, assembling or other purposes.

The invention further resides in a rotary selector for removing the articles singly from'a mass, and also in means located along the path of the selector for positioning the bullets thereon to insure proper delivery of the same. 7

Further, the invention is found to reside in the features of construction and the arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter describedand claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved machine with a portion of the hop per broken away to show inore'cle'arly the arrangement of parts;

Fig. 2, is a top plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a" transverse vertical section therethrough on line 33 of Fig.1

Fig. l is a horizontal section on line 4-4 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section on line 5-5 of Fig. 2; and l 7 Figs. 6 and 7 are,'respectively, edge and side elevations of the upper guard and guide.

In greater detail the invention comprises a base 1 carrying a circular upright support 2 formed with a central journal bearing for the shaft 3 of a drive pulley or wheel 4. The shaft extends through itsjournal bearing and has fixed thereto a selector or pick-up wheel 5 which has an annular series of teeth 6 on its outer face adjacent the periphery thereof. The outer faces of the teeth are beveled forwardly and outwardly, as indispeeifieation of Letters Patent. Patented Ntay 18 19 20, Applicatioii'filed September 18, 1919. Serial No. 324348.

cated at 7, whereby guiding faces are provided to aid in turning and causing the bullets to lie radially in "the recesses or pockets 8 between the teeth.

An inclined hopper 9, semi-circulauin cross section, is secured at its lower end about the lower half of the circumference'o'f support 2 and is provided with a transverse partition 10 above its bottom to prevent the bullets crowding too high against the pick up wheel and possibly choking the apparatus. I v i Fixed relative to the hopper and wheel supportis a lower combined guard and guide 11 and spaced above this by an upright support 12 is an upper coniblned guard and guide 18 having fiat arcuate faces across which the plclr-up teeth move with their bullets. The lower or outer guard has a downwardly and inwardly beveled guide face 14 inclining in the direction of movement of the wheel and toward the latter whereby to shift a projecting bullet inwardly between the teeth and concurrently to turn the bullets up .on end or radial of the wheel, the beveled faces 7 of the teeth cooperating therewith. The incasing hopper serves to retain the bullets in their pockets 8 against outward radial displacement until they reach the horizontal when they encounterthe upper guard 13 located at the inner side of the annular series of teeth. This guard has a track face15 underlying the radial pockets of the wheel to support the bullets therein against 'inward displacement and an eccentric portion 16 forming a vertical, confining wall 17 overlying the outer ends of the teeth. The track face 15'inelines downwardly from the wheel increasingly more in the direction of travel and leads to a chute 18 into which the bullets drop from their pockets point downwardly.

This is effected in the following manner :-Should the bullet be already pointing downwardlythe point will ride outwardly on face 15 and tilt the bullet away from the wheel at the lower end so that when the chute is reached the bullet merely glides downwardly thereinto. If the bullet .is point upwardly in the pocket the butt end will ride on the upper edge of face 15 whereby the bullet will tilt outwardly, when tube 19 which is slightly tilted from the vertical and extends down through the hopper to a convenient point of discharge. Should the bullets be feeding too fast and back up into the tube, the latter is provided with a cut-out 20 in its lower side within the hopper through which the bullets may drop back into the hopper upon being arrested at the opening or cut-out by the bullets filling the lower end of the tube. In practice, the impetus given the bullet in its discharge from the pick-up wheel causes it to hug the outer wall of the tube and carry past the cut-out, the latter only functioning when the bullets are arrested at the opening by the backing up of bullets in the lower end of the tube.

It will further be noted that the lower guard has its inner face eccentric, tapering from the upper end downwardly to a point, whereby surplus bullets will ride thereon and finally drop back into the hopper and not become trapped or tend to choke the feed.

W hat is claimed is:

1. A machine of the class described, com

prising a support, a shaft journaled there on, a pick-up wheel having an annular series of outwardly beveled teeth adjacent its periphery on one side face, and means cooperating with the beveled ends of the teeth to arrange the articles properly between the teeth.

2. A machine of the class described, comprisin a support, a shaft journaled thereon, a pick-up wheel having an annular se ries of outwardly beveled teeth adjacent its periphery on one side face, a guard arranged alongside the path of travel of the teeth and having a. face beveled inwardly and toward the periphery of the wheel, and means for supplying bullets or slugs to the wheel.

3. A machine of the class described comprising a support, a shaft journaled thereon, a pick-up wheel having an annular series of outwardly beveled teeth adjacent its periphery on one side face, a guard arranged alongside the path of travel of the teeth and having a face beveled inwardly and toward the periphery of the wheel, a

second guard spaced to the rear of the first guard along the path of the teeth and disposed on the inner side of the teeth to support articles therebetween, said second guard having a cam portion forming a retaining wall beyond the ends of the teeth, and means for supplying articles to the pick-up wheel.

a. A machine of the class described, comprising a support, ashaft journaled thereon, a pick-up wheel having an annular series of outwardly beveled teeth adjacent its periphery on one side face, a guard ar ranged alongside the path of travel of the teeth and having a face beveled inwardly and toward the periphery of the wheel, a second guard spaced to the rear of thefirst guard along the path of the teeth and disposed on the inner side of the teeth to support articles therebetween, said second guard having a cam portion forming a retaining wall beyond the ends of theteeth, a chute located at the end of the second guard, and means for supplying articles to the wheel.

5. A machine of the class described, comprising a support, a shaft ournaled there- ,on, a pick-up wheel having an annular series of outwardly beveled teeth adjacent its periphery on one side face, a guard arranged alongside the path of travel of the teeth and having-a face beveled inwardly and toward the periphery of the wheel, a second guard spaced to the rear of the first guard along the path of the teeth and disposed on the inner side of the teeth to support articles therebetween, said second guard having a cam portion forming a retaining wall beyond the ends of the teeth, means for directing the course of'the arti-- cles subsequent to leaving the wheel including means for returning surplus articles to a supply for the wheel, and means for supplying articles'to the wheel.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

lLARENCE F. BENJAMIN.

lVitnesses F. SMITH,

M. T. LONGDEN. 

